This page is all about the Hibernation and Adaptations of the Chipmunk. Hibernation is when animals ‘sleep’ through the cold weather. Hibernation is not like human sleep. The animal can be moved around or touched and not know it. So much so, that it appears dead. It also takes a long time for the animal to wake up. Before they hibernate the animals eat more food and live off fat. WHAT IT IS AND WHO DOES IT: Animals hibernate to adapt to the climate. Animals hibernate to escape the cold or to find food. The animals store food as body fat during the end of summer and during fall, which runs their bodies all winter. Living in winter would be too hard to do if they stayed awake. Their body temperature drops very low and almost matches the temperature outside. The animal’s heartbeat and breathing also slow down and their fat lasts longer. Some store food in their caves and burrows. The animals that do this do not sleep straight through the winter. They wake up once in awhile, walk around a little, and eat. Some hibernators are cold-blooded, while others are warm-blooded. |
  |
|
